CONCORD, N.H. – Emily Gray Rice, United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire, announced Wednesday, that Luis Martin Carvajal Gonzalez, also known as Wilfredo Laboy, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and heroin, as well as possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute. According to court documents, Carvajal Gonazalez, 34, sold heroin and fentanyl […]
Commission Cites Impounded Report that Deems Sunskis “not appropriate for prosecution.” The Massachusetts Ethics Commission says they cannot prove that Al Sinskis violated G.L. c. 268A, the conflict of interest law, by paying kickbacks on three occasions to Lawrence Public School (“LPS”) employees to obtain LPS contracts. One of the contracts involved the alleged fraudulent sale of […]
Allegedly kickbacks paid to Lawrence School Department Employees March 11, 2013 The State Ethics Commission’s Enforcement Division issued an Order to Show Cause (“Order”) alleging that Wellington House Publishing, Inc. (“Wellington House”) owner Algird Sunskis violated G.L. c. 268A, the conflict of interest law, by paying kickbacks on three occasions to Lawrence Public School (“LPS”) employees […]
By: Peter Larocque – July, 2012 In case you didn’t know, In God We Trust is the motto of the United States of America and it has been on our coins beginning as far back as 1864. At first it was just printed on the new two cent coin, but by 1909 it was […]
Educator Says Mayor has Conflicts of Interest, Lack of Leadership By: Tom Duggan, April, 2010 According to Essex County District Attorney Jon Blodgett’s indictment of Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy, Mayor Willie Lantigua’s State Rep. campaign received materials printed at the Lawrence Public Schools in 2007. Now Lantigua will preside over hearings to fire […]
VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL April, 2010 This month the Lawrence School Committee will meet and hear testimony from indicted superintendent Wilfredo Laboy in his quest to appeal the committee’s decision to fire him. But, Lawrence Mayor Willie Lantigua, who chairs the seven member board, is named in the Laboy indictment as his State Rep. […]
By: Tom Duggan – October, 2009 ELECTION EDITION Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan is finishing his final term because the city charter limits the mayor’s job to two, four year terms. Sullivan defeated Isabel Melendez in 2001 and Marcos Devers in 2005. Ironically Willie Lantigua endorsed and supported Isabel Melendez in ’01 but flipped in ’05 […]
By: Tom Duggan – July, 2009 An investigation by the Massachusetts office of Campaign and Political Finance may not have issued their report yet on which elected officials benefited from campaign material printed in the Lawrence Public Schools I’m gong to tell you who they right now. At least three members of the Lawrence School Committee (Morris, Larocque and Mejia) benefited from literature printed […]
By: Tom Duggan, May, 2009 Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy granted an exclusive interview with The Valley Patriot where he discussed for the first time to anyone, the details of recent media scandals involving his office, teachers and principals under his command and the spate of bad publicity in the daily newspaper concerning the […]
Tom Duggan (07/03/07) Lawrence Superintendent of Schools Wilfredo Laboy has been under fire by critics over the last month for his decision to house newly arrived immigrant students with lack of English proficiency in the “old” high school building on Haverhill Street once the new $110 million campus is officially opened. Teacher’s union president Frank McLaughlin […]
EDITORIAL When the average voter goes to the polls during local elections, he is usually not thinking of party politics. During local races, average voters look at individual candidates and cast a vote based upon which man or woman can serve their community better. A candidate’s party affiliation rarely comes to play during local races. […]
By: Tom Duggan – September 2005 LAWRENCE – Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy is increasingly coming under fire by candidates for both mayor and school committee, as the city elections in November draw near. Embroiled in public scandal over the alleged assault on School Committeeman Amy McGovern, Laboy has become the subject of controversy […]
Kudos to Selectman Wendy Wakeman for defending free speech in North Andover. Wakeman supports an open door policy for political candidates who wish to campaign at the North Andover Senior Center. A belated three cheers for The Town of Methuen Council on aging as well as the Councils on Aging in Lawrence and Haverhill […]
By: Paula Porten & Tom Duggan – December 2004 For the last two years, residents of Lawrence have been calling the construction of a $110 million high school “The Big Dig of Lawrence,” because of its price tag. For months, School Committeeman Amy McGovern and Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy have been questioning the quality of work […]
By: Tom Duggan – May, 2004 While other communities in the Merrimack Valley are counting every penny and making difficult cuts to services and personnel, foregoing luxuries like out-of-state travel, and appealing to the state for more funding, the Lawrence School Committee appears not to have similar concerns. Last month, while no other superintendent […]